


a day in the life in the neighborhood

by Shaicarus



Category: Spider-Man (Video Game 2018), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Breathing trouble, Canon-Typical Violence, Car Accident, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, One Shot Collection, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Social Media, Whump, death mention, injury mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-11-02 03:17:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17880071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shaicarus/pseuds/Shaicarus
Summary: It kind of hurt to breathe? That wasn't great.He took a step back, away from the car. And then a second. Tried to take a deep breath, and he felt a bit lighter. Which didn't seem bad, at first, but then a gasp went through the crowd and he realized abruptly that he was on the ground.--One shot compilation, may be added to later





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so I watched Into the Spider-Verse and then basically immediately after I started playing Marvel's Spider-Man and i loved both of them, and I've been on kind of a Spidey kick since then. I'm workin' it out of my system. maybe. I have two fics written and might write more, might not. who knows!
> 
>  
> 
> ~~mostly i just really wanted spidey whump. the game gave me plenty but i CRAVED MORE~~

 Three days.

Three days since the cure.

Three days since...

Well.

He probably shouldn't have been working so hard. MJ was certainly trying to convince him to take some time off. But if he stopped, then his thoughts started, and just then he really want them doing that? And until he found a job, it's not like he had much else to do.

Besides, only three days had passed since their miniature Armageddon. The city was still trying to burn itself down. Prisoners from Ryker's and the Raft were still running amok in pockets. He had a lot to keep himself busy.

But still. Only three days since he'd had the tar beaten out of him. He was in one piece, but only by a technicality, probably.

But as he hefted a car to a halt and dropped it back onto the asphalt, 'by a technicality' was going to have to be good enough. And it was, for the most part. He just felt something...kind of groan, in his chest.

"Spidey?" a member of the crowd that had gathered asked, and he realized he had just been standing there staring at the wreckage of the car for a few seconds. There was a hand on his shoulder, and he waved it off half-heartedly, trying to communicate 'no worries' with the gesture.

It kind of hurt to breathe? That wasn't great.

He took a step back, away from the car. And then a second. Tried to take a deep breath, and he felt a bit lighter. Which didn't seem bad, at first, but then a gasp went through the crowd and he realized abruptly that he was on the ground.

"Didn't he, like, almost die a couple days ago?" someone asked quietly.

"Couple times, I think?" someone else replied, voice just as low. Her voice was familiar. Rose, maybe? Sounded like one of the volunteers at FEAST.

"EMTs are on the way," part of the crowd said, and with some alarm, Spider-man rolled from his back to his side, though any further attempts to achieve 'upright' were put on hold when the world seemed to spin and he wilted back towards the asphalt.

"Go distract everyone," Rose commanded sharply. "We gotta get him out of here."

"Isn't going to the hospital _good_ \-- _ **ow**_!" A third voice, and a smacking sound.

"If he was chill with hospitals do you really think he would'a been splayed out to die on a table at a homeless shelter?" Rose demanded, smacking her companion's shoulder again.

Before the argument could continue, her initial companion abruptly put up a ruckus, shouting, "I think more from Ryker's are coming!" As the crowd set to urgently muttering, the boy kept up his ruckus until the crowd was well and truly distracted.

Spider-Man felt someone grab one of his arms, then the other, and abruptly he was being hauled away from the street, courtesy of the sort of adrenaline only a pair of inexplicably protective NYC teenagers could manage. When they all came to a halt again, they were in the nearest alley, hidden behind a dumpster. Because of course they were.

Slowly, methodically, he sat up. By the time he was on his knees, hands splayed on the ground between his thighs, the designated distracter had joined them in the alley.

Two girls. One boy. The ringleader was definitely Rose. All three of them were very clearly dithering at him like grannies.

"Just...gotta catch my breath," he assured them.

The boy cleared his throat and shuffled in place. "Are you _sure_  you don't--"

"No hospitals," Spider-Man interrupted, planting a hand on the wall to haul himself back to his feet. He swayed for a second, but he stayed standing. "There, see?" he added after a moment. "Right as rain!" None of them seemed convinced. He wasn't even convinced. But the sound of sirens was getting closer, and it was time for him to get going.

He glanced over his shoulder for a second. "Not really in the market for any sidekicks right now, but thanks for the hand," he offered, before placing a foot on the wall and walking upwards.

He could still hear them mumbling to each other once he reached the top of the roof. He waited until he was at the center of it, away from their line of vision, to slump downwards again. After a moment of deliberation, he made a call.

"Heeyyyyyy, Yuri! I, uh. I think I might need a lift?"

"You sound like you got hit by a truck," she informed him blandly.

"Pretty sure it was a coupe, actually."

"--Wait, what? Never mind, where are you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp, there you have it! thoughts? requests? did you like it? if you did, maybe click [this link](http://shaicarus.tumblr.com/post/183087491875/honestly-this-post-is-solely-to-direct-people-to)?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Spider-Man is perching on the edge of a fire escape, looking at his phone. The girl recording the footage calls, "Spidey, do something!" only to shriek in surprise when he leaps from the fire escape to land on the streetlight behind her. The screen smears as she turns around to center him in the frame again. "Is this a meme?" he asks, giddy, hands clutched in front of his chest. "Am I my own meme?"]  
>  **spidernerdamy** * **follow**  
>  **spidernerdamy** Just...one jump. Right over my head. Like 20 feet. #spideyspotting  
>  **coffeecoffeenownownow** but were you close enough to TOUCH THE BOOTY?  
>  **manhattanmalcontent** please say yes  
>  **spidernerdamy** No 3:  
> 377 likes  
> December 21, 2018  
> \--  
> pairings: none  
> characters: Spidey, Gloria, SpiderNerdAmy, a lot of OCs, brief mentions of Stark and Jameson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've succumbed to social media fanfic  
> don't put too much thought into any of the usernames. some of them are mine from various places. some are yoinked from my friends. some are from the game. some are just pulled outta my ass.

[The video is filmed with a phone camera, slightly shaky at first as Spider-Man vaults off the top of a crane like it's a springboard, footage stabilizing in time for him to execute a perfect swan dive towards the river. He shoots a web-line at the last second, feet skating across the top of the water for a second before he launches another string of web and hauls himself forward and upwards, out of frame. By the time the camera catches up, he's sitting on top of another crane. The camera stays there, and a male voice behind the camera calmly observes, "Huh. Didn't know I was bi."]

## there he go

75,023 views  
**manhattanmalcontent**  
Published on November 2, 2018  
do you ever just have your camera out at the exact right moment?

118 Comments  
**X2XImTheNewCancerX2X** 2 months ago  
fuuuuccckkkkkk I hate heights and I still wish I could do that

 **bennnoblebarnesnjerry** 3 weeks ago  
what were you even doing there??  
**manhattanmalcontent** 3 weeks ago  
oh you know, trying to fish from the opposite side of the street I WAS TRYING TO CATCH A CAB

 **Barry Truman** 1 day ago  
Do you think he ever just starts hooting and hollering when he's cruising along? When he's not talking, I mean.  
**Mariah Boyce** 1 day ago  
can confirm, he definitely does. dude's living his bliss.  
**Barry Truman** 1 day ago  
Niiiiice.

~~0000~~

**Cipher For My Cat**    
@harriettagoldblumxyz  
So, wait, do all those people selling Spidey merch know who he is?  
4:11 AM - 5 Nov 2018  
**Ra-ra-rasputin** @texassmash * 5 Nov 2018  
Harri, go to bed.  
**Cipher For My Cat** @harriettagoldblumxyz * 5 Nov 2018  
It's a legitimate question!  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * 5 Nov 2018  
People who can't sign licensing agreements also can't sue for copyright infringement.  
**Cipher For My Cat** @harriettagoldblumxyz * 5 Nov 2018  
Wow, what a ripoff.  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * 5 Nov 2018  
I know, right?  
**Ra-ra-rasputin** @texassmash * 5 Nov 2018  
Wait, why are YOU awake?

~~0000~~

[Spider-Man is perched on top of a lamppost, scrolling through a cell phone, the camera angled up at him from below. Behind the camera, a woman's voice shouts, "Spidey, do something!" He jumps and flounders for a second, evidently feeling put on the spot, before abruptly dabbing at the camera. Just as abruptly, he drops his face into his hands, barely audible as he mumbles, "Oh my god, what even was that?" followed by a split second of the film-taker cackling.]  
**coffeecoffeenownownow** * **follow**  
**coffeecoffeenownownow** in case anyone wanted to know what 'instant regret' looks like #spideyspotting  
**shaicarus** oH GOD HE'S A NERD  
**nicxan** but he's always been a nerd???????  
**punkrockdisco** shaming him in front of all the world i see  
**coffeecoffeenownownow** you're goddamn right I am  
11,227 likes  
November 14, 2018

~~0000~~

[Spider-Man is standing on a wall across the street, parallel with the ground, casually carrying on a conversation with a local shop's janitor. The camera unfocuses, zooms in, and refocuses, and a girl's voice shouts, "Spidey, do something!" He holds up one hand with a peace sign and then offers a casual salute, conversation undisturbed.]  
**punkrockdisco** * **follow**  
**punkrockdisco** aww, was hoping for something a bit flashier 3: #spideyspotting  
**coffeecoffeenownownow** at least you didn't almost give him a heart attack  
**spidernerdamy** Do you think all superheroes are that jumpy?  
**punkrockdisco** I think it's kinda cute!  
287 likes  
November 19, 2018

~~0000~~

**Maxter Baxter**  
@junebugging  
[address redacted] @NYCWallcrawler  
[A blurry photo taken through a door crack, of a man in prison orange, wearing a Raft prisoner collar]  
12:22 AM - 29 Nov 2018  
**Maxter Baxter** @junebugging * 29 Nov 2018  
please please he' sinmy aparment i can'tc all the copshe'llhear me   
**Maxter Baxter** @junebugging * 29 Nov 2018  
imstuck ina cupboad

 **Maxter Baxter**  
@junebugging  
im okay  
[A shaky video of Spider-Man lowering the cocooned convict out the window, towards the police sirens below, saying, "Here I thought _I_  was bad without a midnight sna--" before the video abruptly ends.]  
12:35 AM - 29 Nov 2018  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallcrawler * 29 Nov 2018  
You even caught my good side!

~~0000~~

**Jared Marston**  
@jmarston1987  
I dunno, sometimes I think @JJJatHome has a point.  
3:47 PM - 4 Dec 2018  
**Jared Marston** @jmarston1987 * 4 Dec 2018  
Like, we have cops and firemen for a reason.  
**Jared Marston** @jmarston1987 * 4 Dec 2018  
Seems a bit selfish for him to do their jobs, don't you think?  
**Gloria** @SoyGloria * 4 Dec 2018  
I'd be dead if I'd waited on the cops  
**Gloria** @SoyGloria * 4 Dec 2018  
Or would that have been accepted collateral damage?

 **Gloria**  
@SoyGloria  
Haha, that fucker blocked me  
4:12 PM - 4 Dec 2018

~~0000~~

**Amylase Amylose**  
@SpiderNerdAmy  
Hey @NYCWallCrawler ! Any heroic holiday plans?  
7:33 PM - 13 Dec 2018  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * 13 Dec 2018  
Not really. Devil's Breath kinda put the kibosh on that.  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * 13 Dec 2018  
Also I'm broke #millenniallife  
_show this thread_

 **Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man**  
@NYCWallCrawler  
OKAY YOU'RE ALL REALLY SWEET BUT MY BATTERY'S AT 2 % I GOTTA GO  
9:48 PM - 13 Dec 2018  
**Gloria** @SoyGloria * 13 Dec 2018  
Aww, but the outpouring was fun!  
**Gloria** @SoyGloria * 13 Dec 2018  
Did we at least get any tears for our efforts?  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * 13 Dec 2018  
No  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * 13 Dec 2018  
Maybe  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * 13 Dec 2018  
Okay yeah  
**Amylase Amylose** @SpiderNerdAmy * 13 Dec 2018  
Aww!

~~0000~~

[Spider-Man is perching on the edge of a fire escape, looking at his phone. The girl recording the footage calls, "Spidey, do something!" only to shriek in surprise when he leaps from the fire escape to land on the streetlight behind her. The screen smears as she turns around to center him in the frame again. "Is this a meme?" he asks, giddy, hands clutched in front of his chest. "Am I my own meme?"]  
**spidernerdamy** * **follow**  
**spidernerdamy** Just...one jump. Right over my head. Like 20 feet. #spideyspotting  
**coffeecoffeenownownow** but were you close enough to TOUCH THE BOOTY?  
**manhattanmalcontent** please say yes  
**spidernerdamy** No 3:  
377 likes  
December 21, 2018

~~0000~~

**lil bit genghis khan**  
@manhattanmalcontent  
what up, i'm SAD #notseasonalaffectivedisorder  
[a blurry, distant photo of Spider-Man sitting on the fence around the graveyard, staring at the tombstones]   
6:34 PM - 27 Dec 2018  
**J. Jonah Jameson** @JJJatHome * 27 Dec 2018  
Spying on someone at the graveyard now?  
**J. Jonah Jameson** @JJJatHome * 27 Dec 2018  
Is nothing sacred anymore?  
**J. Jonah Jameson** @JJJatHome * 27 Dec 2018  
@NYCWallCrawler  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * 27 Dec 2018  
Can you take this down, please?

 **Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man**    
@NYCWallCrawler  
Thanks @manhattanmalcontent  
7:29 PM - 27 Dec 2018  
**lil bit genghis khan** @manhattanmalcontent * 27 Dec 2018  
sorry  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * 27 Dec 2018  
[That song's](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_SlAzsXa7E) gonna be stuck in my head for days now.

~~0000~~

**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man**  
@NYCWallCrawler  
Gonna have the best seat in the house.  
[A selfie taken from a building overlooking Times Square. Spider-Man is standing at the top of a wall, his back parallel to the ground, several stories up. He's doing The Hand Thing at the camera.]  
11:07 PM - 31 Dec 2018  
**Amylase Amylose** @SpiderNerdAmy * 31 Dec 2018  
Okay but how do I get in on that? Bribery with cookies?  
**Amylase Amylose** @SpiderNerdAmy * 31 Dec 2018  
They're double chocolate  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * 31 Dec 2018  
Oh no, you found my weakness  
**Gloria** @SoyGloria * 31 Dec 2018  
Is coffee a good bribe?  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * 31 Dec 2018  
Heck  
_show this thread_

 _@NYCWallCrawler liked_  
**lil bit genghis khan**  
@manhattanmalcontent  
HAPPY NEW YEAR  
[A short video filled with counting from a dozen people on a rooftop, until fireworks start going off and the chatter turns to cheering. Spider-Man is perched on the edge of the building, mask hiked up, cookie in his mouth, someone's toddler on his shoulders.]  
12:05 AM - Jan 1

~~0000~~

**Maxter Baxter**  
@junebugging  
aaaand i peed myself  
[The footage is unclear, since it's dark. A streetlight is broken and flickering. A would-be mugger is tethered to the nearest wall by a length of webbing caught around his arm. Spider-Man crawls slowly and silently down the wall until he's looming over the mugger, who may or may not be whimpering.]  
10:57 PM - Jan 11  
**lil bit genghis khan** @manhattanmalcontent * Jan 11  
['Well, mark me down as scared AND horny' gif]  
**Cipher For My Cat** @harriettagoldblumxyz * Jan 11  
Are you ever NOT thirsty as hell?  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * Jan 11  
[gif of Spider-Man on a lamppost, face in his hands]

~~0000~~

[The camera pans around a subway car before settling on Spider-Man, who's staring off into space with an air of 'did I forget to turn off the lights?' You know, as you do. "Spidey! Do something!" He reaches up, plants his hands on the ceiling of the car, and hefts himself up to crouch on it. Behind him, another passenger flails and stumbles back, landing on his ass. "Shit, I thought he was a cosplayer!" Pleasantly, elbows on his knees and chin in his hands, Spider-Man remarks, "I get that a lot."]  
**mellynellybourne** * **follow**  
**mellynellybourne** I guess even superheroes take the subway #spideyspotting  
**coffeecoffeenownownow** pretty sure it's only heroes that are broke  
**digitalmoriarty** Yeah, you're not gonna find Ironman on the subway  
**mellynellybourne** Which is a shame, because I would pay to see that  
655 likes  
January 16, 2019

~~0000~~

**Ra-ra-rasputin**  
@texassmash  
Heart...growing...three sizes...hnnnnngggggggg  
[A video shot from across the street, Spider-Man modeling how to punch at thin air for a preteen girl. "Wrist straight, like that." She attempts to mimic him. "No, thumb on the outside or you'll break it--there you go! You're a natural."]  
2:35 PM - Jan 24  
**Gloria** @SoyGloria * Jan 24  
Shouldn't she be in class?  
**Metroidvaniaphilia** @nicxan * Jan 24  
there was a snow day  
**shai** @TeWilliamz * Jan 24  
how is he not freezing????  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * Jan 24  
Kicking heads keeps me warm

~~0000~~

[Spider-Man is kneeling in the slush on the sidewalk, hugging a Newfoundland. The dog is drooling readily. Spider-Man is covered in drool. The woman walking the dog seems pleasantly confused. Behind the camera, "Spidey, do something!" He picks up the 120 pound dog like a baby. To the dog's credit, it seems happy as a very drooly clam.]  
**make_me_wanna_shout** * **follow**  
**make_me_wanna_shout** PUPPY #spideyspotting  
**shaicarus** but which one is the puppy  
**make_me_wanna_shout** i filmed two puppies  
784 likes  
January 29, 2019

~~0000~~

**kitsch n klutter**  
@waluigiwasio  
WHO the HECK is THAT  
[Image of a tall, broad man in a black and red costume, swords on his back, pretty clearly invading Spider-Man's space. The stranger has his hands clenched together beneath his chin in exaggerated excitement, and Spider-Man's back is against the wall, hands raised to ward the stranger off.]  
9:37 PM - Feb 8  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * Feb 8  
Walking trouble  
**Stark** @StarkIndustries * Feb 8  
I'd stay very far away from him  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * Feb 8  
I figured that was implied in my answer???  
**lil bit genghis khan** @manhattanmalcontent * Feb 8  
fight fight fight fight  
**kitsch n klutter** @waluigiwasio * Feb 8  
please not on my tweet

~~0000~~

**Friendly Neighborhood  Spider-Man**  
@NYCWallCrawler  
Happy Valentine's Day, everyone  
[A photo of the aftermath of an attempted jewelry store robbery. The thief is webbed to the floor, a clerk is waving at the camera, and a cop is caught halfway through trying to shoo Spider-Man away.]  
2:52 PM - Feb 14  
**J. Jonah Jameson** @JJJatHome * Feb 14  
Why am I not surprised that you have nothing better to do today?  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * Feb 14  
Do you?

~~0000~~

[Spider-Man is on a low rooftop, watching a game of tag below. The camera is angled up sharply to see him. "Hey, Spidey! Do something!" He contemplates the camera for a second, before pulling out his phone and taking a picture of her, the film-taker sputtering incoherently behind the camera.]  
**carebearstairwaytohell** * **follow**  
**carebearstairwaytohell** I'VE BEEN SPOTTED #spideyspotting  
**coffeecoffeenownownow** spotception?  
**shaicarus** BWAAAHHHHHHMMMMM  
554 likes  
February 19, 2019

 **Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man**  
@NYCWallCrawler  
Am I doing this right? #spideyspotterspotting  
[A hastily taken photo of a young woman, who is also pointing a phone at him. What would be visible of her face has been blurred.]  
4:37 PM - Feb 19

~~0000~~

[Spider-Man is plastered with his back and feet against a wall overlooking the road, mask hiked up just over his nose, steadily demolishing a Subway sandwich. The camera angle is straight on, presumably from a nearby fire escape. A woman's voice behind the camera calls, "Spidey, do something!" He jolts and chokes, and then pounds a fist against his chest as he coughs. A moment later, plaintive, he replies, "I am _eating_ , come _on,_ " and throws the sandwich wrapper towards the camera.]  
**shaicarus** * **follow**  
**shaicarus** WHOOPS #spideyspotting  
**nicxan** rip  
**digitalmoriarty** Spider-Man, Actual Hero: Still whines when he's hangry.  
**shaicarus** tbf so do i, i can't really hold it against him  
126 likes  
1 day ago

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp, there you have it! thoughts? requests? did you like it? if you did, maybe click [this link](http://shaicarus.tumblr.com/post/183087491875/honestly-this-post-is-solely-to-direct-people-to)?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Li stilled, and very slowly looked up, still partially bowed over the desk. "Peter," he observed, wary. He had looked better. Unkempt, disheveled, and sort of underfed, it was pretty apparent that wherever he had been for the last three months, it hadn't been luxurious. For a few seconds, they regarded each other, until Li looked away first. "About May--"
> 
> "Don't." Pete's hands tightened into fists at his sides, knuckles blanching. "You don't have the right."
> 
> "...No," Li agreed slowly. "No, I suppose I don't." He met Peter's eyes again, wary once more. "I assume you're going to call the cops on me now?"  
> \--  
> pairing: none  
> characters: Pete, Martin Li

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was kinda twofold. I'm actually ludicrously fond of that hilariously misleadingly named 'What If? Spider-Man Vs. Wolverine' comic, so I like the idea of Pete's spide-sense having the potential to be more than just a 'dodge now' signal. also I wanted to see if I could manage Angry Pete and still make him feel like...well, Pete.
> 
>  
> 
> ~~also the game never told us wtf happened to negative and GODDAMMIT i wanted the game to tell me 'sometimes the good is hard to snuff out' so fuck it, i am telling MYSELF that~~

The thing about spidey-sense was that Pete didn't actually know how it worked. As far as he could tell, actual spiders didn't come with an early warning system, so he wasn't sure how the one that had bitten him had been cheating the system. Most of the time it just told him when he was in imminent danger. But sometimes it was just...a feeling.

A feeling that had him landing on the roof of the FEAST center in Chinatown at 3:00 in the morning, unable to sleep and certain that he needed to be there for something.

He changed hastily back into his street clothes and crept in a window on the second floor. Within an instant, he could hear someone rummaging around in a room around the corner. Martin Li's office. The hair on the back of Pete's neck stood on end, and he crept silently down the hall.

Li didn't seem to spot him, too busy looking frantically through the drawers of his desk.

"The police cleared everything out of here," Peter remarked, coming to a halt in the office doorway, leaning against the frame.

Li stilled, and very slowly looked up, still partially bowed over the desk. "Peter," he observed, wary. He had looked better. Unkempt, disheveled, and sort of underfed, it was pretty apparent that wherever he had been for the last three months, it hadn't been luxurious. For a few seconds, they regarded each other, until Li looked away first. "About May--"

"Don't." Pete's hands tightened into fists at his sides, knuckles blanching. "You don't have the right."

"...No," Li agreed slowly. "No, I suppose I don't." He met Peter's eyes again, wary once more. "I assume you're going to call the cops on me now?"

"Not just yet," Pete replied, stepping into the office and closing the door. Li had just enough time to look suspicious, and then Peter lunged across the office and slammed into him like a freight train. They hit the floor, and the scuffle only lasted for a second before Peter had Li pinned, sitting on his chest, knees pinning Li's arms.

Li gave him an appraising (and slightly winded) look, but whatever conclusions he came to, he kept them to himself. Peter had his own guess.

"What are you doing here?" It seemed best to start simple.

"I was hoping to find a few personal affects," Li returned, almost sullen. "But I suppose I'll have to--"

Pete's eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared, and Li fell abruptly silent. Watching. Waiting for him to do something.

"You need. Help," Peter informed him, enunciating clearly. " _You_  didn't kill May," Li flinched, and Peter bulldozed ahead regardless, "so I'm still willing to discuss that like a rational human being. Don't push it."

For another few seconds, they watched each other. And then Li took a breath and sighed it out, and all the fight seemed to melt out of him as he did. Carefully, Pete shifted until his knees were on the carpet, and he sat up just enough that his weight wasn't all on Li's ribcage. Li made no effort to toss him off, instead only asking, "And what do you recommend?"

Peter heaved a sigh, head dropping forward for a second before he straightened up, expression hardening again. "Turn yourself in. _Behave_. When you're cleared for visitors, I'll come by and...we can iron the rest out then."

The look on Li's face implied he didn't really believe any good was going to come of it. And yet, he didn't argue. Skepticism aside, he just seemed...tired.

Tired enough not to balk at going to prison, maybe.

Cautiously, Peter got back to his feet. "I'm...gonna go change. And make a phone call. And if you're still here when I get back, then maybe the man who built all this is still there."

He backed out of the room as Li sat up, not turning around until he was back in the hallway. Finally, he bolted back towards the window he had used to get in. Changing back into the suit and calling the cops only took a few minutes, but even so, he wasn't actually sure if there was still going to be anyone in the office when he went back.

And yet.

Li was sitting in the chair, contemplating the desk's woodgrain, when Pete got back, and Peter let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Li glanced up, and he didn't seem surprised by the change in attire, or by the sound of sirens approaching. He simply got to his feet without a word.

It wasn't until he got to the office doorway that he paused, hands on the frame. On the first floor, there came the sounds of people beginning to wake up as the sirens got closer.

"...I don't want them to see me," he admitted after a second, words laced with faint, incredulous laughter. "Everyone already knows what I've done, but..."

"You're in luck," Pete replied, ushering him onwards with a flourish. "I've got a window with your name on it, in just your size."

Li scoffed and shook his head, just barely audible muttering, "Honestly, Parker," under his breath, even as he started walking again.

By the time they were outside and on the ground, a handful of police cruisers had crowded to a halt in the street, the cops all ready for some sort of showdown. It was, actually, kind of funny, just how confused they all seemed when Li simply put his hands up and let Spider-Man escort him to the nearest cruiser.

Afterwards, Pete tailed the police to the Raft. Because of course he did. He had to. Just to be sure. But there was no fuss. Not exactly proof that Li wasn't planning something for later down the line, but for that moment, at least...

Well, it was something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and if you couldn't tell, i pretty much use 'one shot' as a code for 'i dunno how to end this so it just kinda stops' *jazz hands*


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> request: tbh i just want a very tired pete who just!can't!sleep. swinging clumsily through the city to this one apartment where some random npc is playing the piano every other night at 3am bc they are suffering from insomnia as well & whenever they play little do they know that spidey is sleeping soundly on their roof bc somehow this piano playing thing is so soothing to petes soul that it's basically the only thing that helps him sleep somehow...  
> \----  
> pairing: none  
> characters: Peter, rando NPC  
> warnings: mentioned death. emotional whump.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ask and ye shall receive, assuming I can think of anything to write  
> while you're all of course perfectly welcome to think of your own soundtrack, given the sheer amount of piano music I listen to I felt obligated to supply my own soundtrack.
> 
> also if you wanna get in touch with me on tumblr, it's [shaicarus](http://shaicarus.tumblr.com/). figured I should actually say that, since I don't actually use the blog my ko-fi info was linked to. (don't worry, I updated it.)

3:00 in the morning. Or...somewhere around there. Hell if Pete actually knew. There was a clock in his mask's display, but he kept going cross-eyed every time he looked at it.

He should have been sleeping. As it was, his spidey-sense was the only thing keeping him from swinging into buildings. But the FEAST center smelled like sickness and sweat, and at all hours there was the sound of volunteers walking around, tending to the sick, moving equipment. Old electronics buzzed and mattresses and bed frames past their prime squeaked, and even if no one else noticed, Pete wanted to claw his ears off some nights.

Not that being out in the city was much better at that point. Everywhere he went, the city smelled ill and people were terrified.

He clipped his shoulder against the corner of a building and for an instant his vision whited out with pain, both from the impact and as he jerked to a halt so quickly he nearly gave himself whiplash, reacting to the ' _incoming_ ' at the back of his thoughts just a hair too slowly.

For a few slow seconds he just dangled there, before he heaved a sigh and climbed up the web-line to the roof. He flopped over in a graceless heap, slinging one forearm across his face.

The closest apartment had the window cracked open. He could hear the occupant rustling around inside. If nothing else, he was strangely gratified to know he wasn't the only one still awake just then. (Granted, it was Manhattan. She never slept. But still.)

And then [the music started](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFTmdUIhfBw).

Pete let his arm fall to his side, cocking his head towards the window. Slowly, he dragged himself to all fours and crept towards the edge of the roof, until he could flop back down, partially leaning on the lip of the building as he listened.

It was...pretty. Elegant? (Was calling music pretty insulting? Hell if he knew.) But stubborn and forceful, almost to the point of being harsh.

Or at least that was what Pete got from it. Maybe he was projecting a bit.

He didn't know who lived in the apartment, but whoever they were, they definitely needed a bigger audience.

He didn't quite manage to hear the end of the song. When he opened his eyes again, the sun was beginning to come up, painting glass skyscrapers in gold and orange. He took a moment to admire it as he tried to work the crick out of his neck, before he took a swan dive off the edge of the building.

The day was starting and there was a robbery gearing up a few blocks over. He had work to do.

~~0000~~

He didn't really _mean_  for it to become a regular thing. It just sort of...happened. Granted, whoever lived in the apartment didn't know he was there, so he figured it was pretty harmless.

He climbed onto the roof, settling into the same corner as before. Sitting cross-legged, he leaned back on his hands and tipped his head back, eyes drifting shut.

He didn't bother to open them when he heard [the first few notes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRvhQ5Rf6-U). They felt...fond, in a way. In a sort of resigned way. His thoughts drifted to MJ without much guidance on his part, and he smiled half-heartedly beneath his mask.

He let his thoughts wander as he flopped onto his back, his arms under his head. Gradually, his thoughts began to make less sense, but he didn't feel particularly inclined to shepherd them back on track. If nothing else, it beat listening to people vomit half their digestive tract up back at the shelter.

So, yeah. He didn't really mean for it to become a _habit_ , but the fact that he was sleeping better on some random pianist's roof than he was in an actual bed was incentive enough for him to not look too deeply at it. The state of the world being what it was, he would look at his life and look at his choices in a little more depth _later_.

~~0000~~

Miles was going to get himself killed. He would have the best of intentions, and it would happen anyway. And Pete couldn't even caution him against it, because the city needed all the help it could get and Peter couldn't afford to turn that help away. No one could afford for Peter to turn that help away.

Miles was probably going to get himself killed, and in that moment the knowledge felt...horrifically matter-of-fact. Like Sable and Osborn and Li and Octavius were all shrugging at once. ' _Yes, so?_ '

Peter stared at the sky, seated on the apartment complex's roof. There were too many lights to see any stars, and he pulled his attention away easily when he heard the music start.

[From the first note](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4Qyq-CGV6k), it sort of felt like the music was trying to argue with his mood. It bounced and trotted, quickly enough that he wasn't even sure how someone's fingers could move that fast. But as he settled down in the usual corner, he found it was an argument he was more or less alright with losing for the moment.

_Pick your battles_ , as they say. And while he was typically more than willing to pick _all_  of them, just then there were too many even for him.

His chin dipped towards his chest. He wasn't sure how the song ended.

~~0000~~  

The thing was...

Pete loved New York. He did.

He loved his city, but all the same, he was pretty sure he knew what the apocalypse looked like, and it looked like civilians in hospital masks staring down faceless grey armor while snipers picked their targets from the eaves.

It took...a while for the music to come that night. Morning. Whatever it was. He didn't really care anymore. Still, Peter lingered. It wasn't like he had anywhere to be. He was so tired that his vision was doubling and his eyes hurt, and he was more likely to get someone killed than to stop any crime just then.

When he heard [the first notes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vohFxJ982Ic), his head whipped up, and he crept towards the corner of the roof that at some point he had started to call 'his.' 

It was slow. Soft. Even so, it felt a bit like each note was trying to punch him in the chest, and his hands tightened on the lip of the building. He heard mortar crack, and he yanked his hands away before he could cause any real damage. Instead, he folded his arms on the lip and let his chin rest on top of them.

He was blinking too quickly, and then so very slowly, and he barely noticed when a note sounded wrong.

And then he jerked back to full wakefulness at a cacophony that only could have been a hand slamming down on the keys, followed by a chair falling over. Pete was already crawling down the side of the building towards the window when he heard retching.

By the time he was peering through the window, the apartment's occupant was face down on the floor in a puddle of his own vomit. For a second, Peter froze. And then, slowly, moving like a wind-up doll, he crawled back towards the roof. He called 911 to get an ambulance dispatched. He was gone by the time it arrived.

For a week after that, he landed on the roof each night. Just to check. Just to see what would happen. The window stayed closed and the apartment stayed dark, and soon enough Peter was too busy to check.

~~0000~~

The funeral was...

it was...

...as lovely as a funeral can be. Or at least he assumed it had been. He was pretty sure he had been dissociating for a solid three days, so he wasn't actually sure. That ol' Parker Attention to Detail. He could put it on the shelf with the Parker Pride and the Parker Stubborn Streak.

(What he did know what was that it was entirely possible to stop a car even when you were watching the back of your own head from the moon.)

MJ and Miles had been trying to call him on and off all evening. And he wanted to answer the phone. He did. But it just...wasn't really happening. What was the tunnel vision equivalent of motor control?

For most of the night, he lost himself in the city, high above the streets, where only he could be. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to be alone with his thoughts, but he didn't really want company for them, either.

As night turned to morning and continued to drag on, he didn't even realize where he was going. When he landed on the apartment complex's roof, it was as much a surprise to him as it was to anyone who may have spotted him.

He plodded over to his corner and sank down to sit, drawing his knees up to his chest and tucking his face against them. Very heroic, to be sure.

When he heard [the first note](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6E08uvumtw), his shoulders stiffened, and he went very still. Listening, just to be sure he wasn't hearing things. But one note became many. Slow and sort of shaky at first, but soon enough the music bounced along merrily, fierce and determined.

Pete's chest felt tight, and he straightened up enough to tug his mask up past his nose. He shoved his fist into his mouth, muffling the noise as he...sobbed? Laughed? He wasn't even sure just then, and he supposed it wasn't really important. Hell, he supposed it could have been both.

His shoulders rounded and trembled as he curled inwards, one hand still clamped over his mouth. It felt like he was suffocating, but no, not really, that wasn't right.

At least for a few minutes, it felt like he could breathe for the first time in days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, that was fun! or at least I thought it was fun. hopefully you did, too!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> But with half of them webbed to the walls and floor, the rest of the mob only seemed to get angrier. And then one of them just...stopped. A hulking tank of a man, it took Pete a second to realize there was someone behind him, and then Li stepped past and planted a hand between the next prisoner's shoulders. Like the first, he ground to a halt.  
> \--  
> pairings: none  
> characters: Peter Parker | Spider-Man, Martin Li | Mr. Negative, Mac Gargan | Scorpion  
> warnings: canon typical violence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really like this one? I dunno if it's BAD, but it isn't what I wanted it to be. I had an idea in mind and I started with that, and then I kinda got muddled in the framing and contextualizing of it. *shrug* finishing it was fueled by spite, stubbornness, and 'oh god I have to visit the doctor' anxiety, and by the time it was done I'd put too much work into it NOT to post it.
> 
> ~~and i definitely need a better handle on martin li's character but that is for a time when i am less Done~~

The thing about dominos is that they cascade. Tap the first, and the last one falling is inevitable (unless you're just really bad at dominos). It was sort of disconcerting, how the same logic could occasionally be applied to a super max prison facility.

Scorpion got out first, and from there...well, things cascaded. The only saving grace was that it was Scorpion who started it. After Rhino separated him from the last several feet of his tail during the Devil's Breath fiasco, he was a little wary to let any of the Raft's more impressive occupants out to steal his status as the king of the hill, but that was a small comfort when it turned into a riot within an hour.

And where there were riots at the Raft, there was Spider-Man.

("Oh, thank Christ," an officer groaned, ducking behind a wrecked police car with two others, when Pete landed on top of a flood light.

"Car's on fire," Pete called down helpfully, pausing just long enough to watch them swear and scuttle for safer cover before hurling himself into the thick of things.)

It was almost tame, compared to the last riot. Only a  _portion_ of the prison populace, for a change. Within ten minutes, Pete was inside, letting the officers in the yard detain the escapees he had gift wrapped.

Inside was slightly less of a circus, but also more confined, so really, it mostly evened out. And in that context, 'evening out' mostly meant that Peter found himself surrounded by a mob of people in orange jumpsuits and deactivated collars.

Not ideal, but also not _really_  the reason he was there.

"Any chance you'd all be willing to line up one at a time?" he wondered, and then darted halfway up the nearest wall when nearly a dozen people charged him at once. "No? Well, A for effort, anyway. Incoming!" He dropped from the wall, landing on a startled convict's shoulders. Legs tightening, he threw his weight backwards to land on his hands, and sent the convict sprawling to the ground to be webbed in place.

Bouncing back upright, he kicked out, heel of one foot meeting another convict's ribcage. He let his momentum carry him and the target in a half-circle, and when the target was flat on his back and wheezing on the floor, Pete webbed him in place.

He ducked an incoming swing, but let himself be grabbed around the middle and hoisted off the ground, since it freed up his legs for a two-footed kick to the nearest sternum before he slammed one elbow down into his would-be captor's collarbone. He was summarily released, and he dropped and twisted, sweeping the attempted captor's legs out from under him. In a second, two more were webbed to the floor.

A few of them seemed to be reconsidering a few of their life choices in that moment. One of them most especially when a line of web was abruptly connected to his chest, and with a sharp yank his nose met the floor with a crack. He stayed down there, covered in web.

But with half of them webbed to the walls and floor, the rest of the mob only seemed to get angrier. And then one of them just...stopped. A hulking tank of a man, it took Pete a second to realize there was someone behind him, and then Li stepped past and planted a hand between the next prisoner's shoulders. Like the first, he ground to a halt.

Pete tore his gaze away from Li in time to duck under a punch. His elbow met a sternum, and he left the wheezing prisoner webbed to the floor. Two to go.

It took only a few seconds to narrow that down to one, but that was technically zero, as Peter turned towards what would be the last one to find him standing inert, as well.

Li stood just in front of the trio, hands linked together behind his back. His eyes were like mercury, from corner to corner, much like the three prisoners flanking him. "I see the police called in some back-up."

Peter shrugged broadly, even as he braced for something to happen. "For me, it's Tuesday." He was waiting for an attack. Or possibly an explosion. Personal experience and all that.

Instead, the three convicts under Li's control turned and walked themselves back into the nearest cells. Almost absentmindedly, Li followed, tapping the first on the shoulder to steal back the energy and then slamming the cell shut before the prisoner could react. Peter watched, bemused, as Li repeated the process for the other two.

"Any plans for dealing with Scorpion?"

"Not...really sure I should talk about that," Pete hedged cautiously, eyes narrowing.

Li canted his head to the side slightly, as if conceding 'fair enough.' "I had a thought myself."

And in an instant, the world was washed in grey, and everything had gone silent. For just a split second, Pete existed in a roll of undeveloped film, before the real world snapped back into place. Li was standing in front of him, hand on Peter's shoulder, eyes like mercury.

Peter leapt backwards, plastering himself to the wall. "What did you do?" he demanded sharply.

Unconcerned, Li held his hands up, as if in the most noncommittal form of surrender. "I'm sure you'll figure it out." He gestured forward, deeper into the prison. "Don't you have another arachnid to catch?"

Peter didn't move, staying put on the wall, practically vibrating with tension. If anything, Li seemed amused. Words dry, he pointed out, "We both know you would have been able to tell if I meant to hurt you."

A valid point, kind of. Maybe. He hadn't seen it coming. And it wasn't like he felt like he was going to drop dead or anything. It hadn't even felt like the last times Li had tried to get into Pete's head; less like he was trying to get into his mind, and more like he was just prodding at it in passing.

But even so, it felt like his skin was buzzing beneath the surface. If Li felt any inclination to explain anything, then he was keeping it well under wraps.

An alarm started sounding from deeper within the complex. Li's eyebrows rose expectantly. Teeth grinding in aggravation, Peter turned away, launching a web-line to haul himself up to the next level.

And in an instant, he knew what had happened.

It felt like static pulling at his spine, and the line of webbing arced and crackled with silver energy, biting black or white at different angles, like it couldn't quite decide what it wanted to be. "Oh," Pete breathed, voice hardly audible, caught somewhere between wonder and alarm. "What--why...?"

There was a flash of distaste, and then Li's expression evened out to expectant neutrality again. "You're the one who said my goal was to _behave_ , weren't you? From where I'm standing, that will be easier to accomplish if I'm not swept up in a riot, and the odds of that go down the faster you get this straightened out."

"Very philanthropic of you," Peter returned dryly, though a solid chunk of his attention was still caught on the length of crackling web he was still holding onto.

"Compared to anyone else here?" Li asked mildly. "I suppose so."

The conversation was going nowhere quickly, and Pete shook his head briefly. "How long until this wears off?"

"I'll take it back when you're finished."

Li didn't seem inclined to offer any information beyond that, and another alarm began to go off. Peter glanced between Li and the web-line quickly, shook his head again, and finally he propelled himself farther into the compound. Li was at the very least putting on a show of cooperating, which put him lower on the priority list, regardless of whether or not that situation changed later.

Following Scorpion's path was easy. Apparently in cybernetic sociopath logic, why use _doors_ when you can just go straight through the _walls_? Is a straight line not the quickest way to get somewhere?

Each web-line went inert as soon as it was no longer attached to Pete, but even so he kept glancing back just to make sure that was the case. Call him a worrywart, but he wasn't thrilled with the idea of just leaving strings of negative energy laying around all willy-nilly.

And when he looked back, a few times, he spotted Li, flanked by surprisingly docile prisoners all calmly meandering towards the nearest cells. Pete still didn't know what Li's angle was (beyond probably wanting to see the show), but for the time being he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

He launched himself through the next gaping hole in the wall and latched onto the outside of the building, where he followed the claw marks before swinging to the next roof over.

Pete released the web-line at the top of the swing, weightless for an instant before he began to fall towards the roof.

Scorpion perched on the roof on all fours, wearing the pieces of his armor that had still been salvageable after being stuck in a shipping container with Rhino. Even so, it was obvious the set up was incomplete.

"Drafty up here," Pete remarked, landing on the radio tower on the roof. "Aren't you cold?"

Even with his helmet on, the degree to which Scorpion rolled his eyes was palpable, his head tilting with the gesture. Rapidly, he scaled the radio tower, growling, "Not in the mood for games, Spider," as he did.

"Of course not," Peter agreed, surging forward. His hands landed on Scorpion's shoulders and he flipped over Scorpion's back, knocking him off balance and throwing him back to the roof. Pete landed in a crouch and pivoted to face Scorpion, just out of arm's reach. "I mean, I doubt they would've let you keep your wallet."

Scorpion was up on all fours again in an instant, backpedaling a few paces. Caution was generally not his modus operandi, but his primary means of attack was still in storage somewhere. When it was just the two of them, they both knew what would happen. And so for a moment they just circled each other, until Scorpion lunged. Pete jumped, planted his hand on Scorpion's head, and vaulted straight over him, momentum nearly forcing Scorpion's chin to meet the roof.

Rather than retaliate, though, Scorpion continued towards the edge of the roof. And really, if he made a break for it and escaped, the odds of everything getting neatly wrapped up in an afternoon plummeted dramatically. But!

Radioactive spider or not, Peter supposed he could let his inner sheep dog out for a little while.

He launched a web-line, the crackling end of it planting itself between Scorpion's shoulders and sticking. His back arched with the energy, and Peter hauled back on the line while Scorpion was off balance. Twisting the line around his forearms, he turned, dragging Scorpion in a semi-circle even as he dug his claws into the roof, raking furrows into the metal. Pete released the line in time to send Scorpion careening into the radio tower.

"Whoops," Pete remarked casually as it buckled, one side of it tipping towards the roof.

"Learned some new tricks, Spider?" Scorpion growled, dragging himself back upright, still trailing a line of webbing.

"Borrowed, more like."

"Kids these days. Never willing to fully commit to something."

"Hey now," Pete huffed. "I'm perfectly grown up. I can tie my own sandals and everything."

"I'll believe it when I see it."

They circled each other as they spoke, until Pete finally broke the stalemate, launching a line of webbing and only just missing. He attached the other end to the radio tower.

It was sort of fun, after that, playing cat and mouse (spider and fly?).

Each line placed carefully, always overlapping another in at least one place, using the radio tower and the lightning rods almost as a frame, working fast so Scorpion had no time to realize he was making no ground between one web and the next. By the time Peter leapt back to the top of the radio tower, Scorpion was crouched in a square of space small enough that his knees brushed webbing on either side. He cast about in every direction, looking for a gap big enough to leap through. Why, Pete could put a funnel web to shame.

"Feeling a little claustrophobic, Gargan?" Pete wondered, slowly crawling down the length of the radio tower.

Scorpion growled and began picking his way through the webbing. Under this line, over that one, between those two, around that one, and on and on...

With webbing on every side of Scorpion, Pete reached down and wrapped a hand around the nearest string of webbing. In an instant, the entire spider's web lit up. Scorpion screamed, and he thrashed, only getting more tangled with each movement as he tried to kick and claw his way free.

"Do you suppose I'm the first spider to catch a scorpion in his web?" Pete wondered, letting go of the web and letting the energy go dormant again. Scorpion made an aborted grab at him, just for his arm to get caught against another line of webbing.

For almost a full minute, Scorpion continued to thrash, as if he could snap the webbing by sheer willpower. If he'd still had his tail and its corrosive contents, maybe he would have had better luck. But as it was, all he was doing was getting himself more and more effectively stuck.

Finally, he stopped, going boneless all at once, like a cat resigning itself to a bath; not fighting the situation as Pete began gathering strands of webbing up into a net (focusing carefully, of course, on keeping the unexpected power in check, because there were lines and torture was one he generally preferred not to cross), but most definitely not going along with it.

Pete flung the webbed up cyborg back through the hole in the wall. And he was, maybe, just possibly, a little bit vindictively pleased when he heard a grunt on impact.

"Not the most delicate touch," Scorpion grouse, thrashing once again, seemingly just to make a point.

Affronted, Peter brought a hand to his chest as he crouched on the edge of the hole. "Exsqueeze me? I'm offended."

"But very delicate feelings," Scorpion tacked on in a deadpan, as if to make a mental note.

Like some sort of deranged Santa Claus, Pete hopped down from his perch and gathered up the net and its contents, hefting it up against one shoulder.

"Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me," Scorpion muttered, only just managing to scrabble one hand out of the webbing, three claws raking into the floor, until the entire net lit up for a few seconds and he became remarkably docile again.

Finding Scorpion's cell was a simple matter of following the worst of the destruction. The cell itself seemed relatively undamaged, so Pete could only assume it had been some sort of security oversight that let to the escape. Still, Peter inspected the cell as best as he could before tossing the netted cyborg back into it and locking it shut.

The strange, foreign buzzing against his mind got stronger, and he knew Li was approaching without looking. "You've been busy," Pete remarked, considering how few people he had run into while carting Scorpion through the prison. He looked over his shoulder in time to see Li shrug.

"I didn't get rid of everyone," he remarked. "A fair number are in the communal areas or returned to their cells on their own." Tone turning dry, he pointed out, "You have something of a reputation."

Pete snorted before he could help it. "Do I?" he asked, very badly feigning innocence. "I never really noticed."

Rather than reply, Li arched an eyebrow and held out a hand. Peter regarded it cautiously. After a moment, Li explained slowly, "We know you're going to do the heroic thing and put me back in my cell and turn the collars back on. I need to take the power back now, while I still can."

Peter hesitated for a moment longer, but there was nothing shouting ' _danger, keep back!_ ' And it was going to need to happen anyway. Cautiously, he grabbed Li's hand. They shook once, and then the buzzing abruptly vanished. Peter's shoulders gradually loosened.

They parted ways after that, as Peter darted back to the main security office. He watched the cameras for a moment, until he was sure Li was going back to his cell, before he rebooted and reactivated the collars. He lingered after that, just long enough to make sure the police and the guards had a hand on the rest of clean up. And when he left, he was still silently gnawing over whatever Li's angle was supposed to be. What did he get out of it? What was the point? Why bother helping?

Maybe it was some lingering vestige of the Martin Li that Peter had known, not quite snuffed out. Pete almost dared to hope, even if experience told him that meant it wasn't the case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let's just assume that for me 'one shot' ALSO means 'I didn't really know how to START it, either, so it just kinda happens'
> 
> ~~one shot means 'context? what context?'~~


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was somewhere over Hell's Kitchen when he just about heard his phone over the wind, and he fumbled to accept the call as he released one web-line and launched a new one.
> 
> The sound was a mass of crackling at first and the video was a sea of pixelated colors for a few seconds before it stabilized and he was looking at MJ's face.
> 
> "And you're swinging," she observed. "Gonna make me sea sick."
> 
> Pete huffed out a laugh. "I'll find a spot to land."  
> \----  
> pairing: Pete/MJ  
> characters: Peter Parker | Spider-Man, Mary Jane Watson, a couple random OCs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I looked at the handful of fics for the PS4 game and decided 'needs more MJ.' needs more Miles, too, but I am bad at doing more than one thing at a time.

They sort of had a schedule. It wasn't perfect, of course--Pete couldn't exactly schedule when crime happened and MJ was literally investigating a war zone and didn't always have internet access--but it gave them both something to look forward to, knowing they at least _intended_  to talk to each other twice a week.

As such, Pete had his phone in his hand for a change, waiting for the video call to come through. Something about the skintight suit didn't really permit him to get the phone out in a hurry, he had learned, so it was better to just be prepared ahead of time.

He was somewhere over Hell's Kitchen when he just about heard his phone over the wind, and he fumbled to accept the call as he released one web-line and launched a new one.

The sound was a mass of crackling at first and the video was a sea of pixelated colors for a few seconds before it stabilized and he was looking at MJ's face.

"And you're swinging," she observed. "Gonna make me sea sick."

Pete huffed out a laugh. "I'll find a spot to land."

MJ offered the camera a thumbs up. "Please do. I worry when you're stuck using one arm."

He snorted and cast about for a decent perch, before twisting in the air to head towards it.

"You're keeping safe?" Pete asked, landing on top of a radio tower, finally getting a steadier grip on his phone. He hunkered down to get comfortable.

"More or less," MJ assured him. "You know me."

"I live in fear," he returned earnestly, only partially kidding.

She huffed out a gentle laugh. "You worry too much. I actually have a bit of an honor guard."

Pete cocked his head to one side, and MJ turned her computer enough for the camera to catch a glimpse of two men over her shoulder, both of them playing cards at a table behind her. Their armor was in various states of disassembly just then, but it was a familiar silver-grey all the same.

"Sable?" Pete asked, bemused.

MJ shrugged one shoulder dismissively, as if that was just the sort of thing that happened. "Say hi, boys," she called over her shoulder.

One of them waved off-handedly, still contemplating his cards. The other one leaned closer towards MJ, squinting towards the screen. "He kicked me in the head," he accused after a moment.

"You were probably trying to shoot me," Peter reasoned in reply.

The soldier eyed him for a moment longer before turning his attention back to his cards.

Voice lowering, Pete asked, "They aren't giving you any trouble?"

MJ rolled her eyes in fond exasperation. "They've been perfect gentlemen," she replied, her voice getting slightly louder as she added, "Even if Emir snores likes a chainsaw with a head cold."

Still not looking up from his cards, one of the soldiers raised one hand in a fist, thumb between his index and middle fingers. MJ looked over her shoulder just in time to catch the gesture, and she muffled a laugh behind one hand.

"Perfect gentlemen," Peter agreed dryly as MJ's attention returned to the camera. "Any big stories coming up? I mean, everything there is a big story, but--you know what I mean."

"I have...plans," she replied, slowly, like she was picking her words carefully. "There's...a little bombed out town that we're heading towards. But it's still sort of a town, so it's filled with refugees from places that have basically been wiped off the map. I'm not really sure what format it will be, though; I'm sort of a one-person film crew here."

"It will be great," Pete assured her quietly.

"You don't even know what it is yet," she argued playfully, propping her chin up on one hand.

Peter rolled one shoulder in a shrug. "Don't need to," he replied. "I know what you can do."

MJ smiled, soft and fond. "Sweet talker," she huffed. "But I won't say you're wrong."

"I'm never wrong," Pete replied, his free hand to his chest. In the background, he could see The Soldier Who Was Not Emir rolling his eyes.

"Uh huh," MJ replied flatly. "I'll remind you that you said that later." She glanced at something off to the side, her expression dimming slightly. Turning her attention back to the screen, she sighed and said, "Alright, it's time for me to get going."

"Same time on Thursday?" Pete asked, straightening up on top of the radio tower, getting ready to move again.

"Same time on Thursday," MJ confirmed. "Love you."

"Love you, too."

MJ blew a kiss towards the camera just before the video call ended, leaving Pete smiling dopily behind his mask, like a fifth grader finding a secret admirer's note. For a few seconds he just stood there, before he took a breath and sighed it out, and finally put his phone away, before cannonballing off of the tower.

Back to business. Thursday was only a few days away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I refuse to do a sentence more of work (<\-- freelance editor) than I get paid to do, so I pad my time by writing fanfic. so sorry if this seemed a little distracted.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Turn around." 
> 
> Slowly, he shuffled around on the spot, staring up at the soldier's helmet. There was a gun sort of half-heartedly pointed at him, more just in his general direction. The soldier wasn't even touching the trigger, and really Miles was pretty sure the safety was still on. So...maybe this wasn't quite a catastrophe.
> 
> To be fair, he just escaped from Rhino. Nothing was a catastrophe compared to that.  
> \----  
> characters: Miles Morales, random Sable NPC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heeeeey, guess who felt like shit for like a week now!  
> the answer is me.  
> this is like half a page long and took me way too long to tap out.

"Hold it."

Oh, come _on_.

Miles ground to a halt, head low and shoulders high and rigid. Just one checkpoint between him and the FEAST center, and of course that was when his luck ran out. (Granted, after the day he'd been having, he wasn't actually sure if he could say he had any luck to begin with.)

"Turn around." 

Slowly, he shuffled around on the spot, staring up at the soldier's helmet. There was a gun sort of half-heartedly pointed at him, more just in his general direction. The soldier wasn't even touching the trigger, and really Miles was pretty sure the safety was still on. So...maybe this wasn't quite a catastrophe.

To be fair, he just escaped from _Rhino_. Nothing was a catastrophe compared to that.

"State your name."

"Miles Morales," he grit out.

"What's in your pockets, kid?" the soldier asked, gesturing expectantly with the muzzle of the gun.

Reluctantly, Miles pulled his hands out of his hoodie, one clenched into a fist and the other clutching the bottle of amoxicillin. "We ran out back at the shelter. I said I'd get more and be right back."

For a drawn out moment, the soldier just watched him. Miles didn't think he was in any danger of being shot, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be detained, and really, he hadn't outrun the living bulldozer just so some armor on a power trip could ruin everything.

"Look, man, I'm not sick," he burst out. "You can do, like, a cheek swab or whatever the hell you need to do, but I gotta get this back to the shelter."

"Where is the shelter?" the soldier asked, sounding dubious. The suspicion was maybe warranted, given how many convicts--super powered and otherwise--were running loose in the city, but in that moment it didn't matter. All that mattered was getting back to the shelter.

"Man, it is right over there!" Miles turned halfway around, jerking the thumb of his free hand towards the FEAST center. "And I've already been gone way longer than anyone expected me to be!"

There was another beat, and Miles got the impression that the soldier was doing his best to read Miles's thoughts. Finally, he asked slowly, "Where did you get them from?"

Miles mumbled his answer towards the asphalt.

"Loud enough for the rest of the class to hear, kid," the soldier returned flatly.

"From one of the prisoner camps," Miles repeated, louder that time. "It's not like anyone there was using it. They were just hoarding it all."

That, at least, seemed to give the soldier pause. Granted, in general Sable seemed pretty content to ignore the prisoners until it was absolutely necessary to confront them, so maybe he was just embarrassed that a kid was more willing to man up than half of the soldiers in the city.

Finally, the soldier heaved a sigh so heavy his shoulders rose and fell, his gun falling to his side to dangle from one hand. "Alright. Get going."

Miles opened his mouth, ready to argue, only to come up short. "...For real?"

"Assuming you get out of here before someone else sees you," came the dryly exasperated response, and the soldier ushered Miles onwards with the muzzle of his gun.

Miles paused for only a moment longer, standing rigid on the spot. Just to make sure he wasn't hearing things or that the soldier wasn't going to suddenly change his mind. And then he turned on his heel, shoved the bottle back into his pocket, and kept walking. Slowly at first. Quietly. Until it seemed like he was far enough away to be too much trouble to deal with if anyone else noticed him, and then he broke into a sprint.

No one back at the FEAST center was even going to _believe_  the day he'd had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, there's the thing. I still feel like shit and I'm gonna go watch more random lists on Youtube.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Maxter Baxter**  
>  @junebugging  
> the resemblance is eerie  
> [a video of both Spider-persons having a conversation, Spider-Man on top of the roof and Kid Arachnid stuck to the wall, both of them gesticulating broadly, even if none of the audio comes through]  
> 6:37 PM - Mar 4  
>  **Amylase Amylose** @SpiderNerdAmy * Mar 4  
> Had to do it  
> [a screen cap of the video, Spider-Man's arm outstretched, captioned with 'everything the light touches is your kingdom']  
>  **Wallcrawler 2: Electric Boogaloo** @kidarachnid * Mar 4  
> but what about that shadowy place  
>  **Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * Mar 4  
> That's Staten Island.  
> \----  
> characters: Peter Parker, Miles Morales, MJ Watson, background characters, random OCs, a couple other heroes  
> pairing: Peter/MJ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what's that? you want more social media fic? wait, no one asked for that? well, too bad, because that's what I wrote.
> 
> also I think the game mentions the Avengers are on the west coast at that time? and I like the idea of the other NYC street heroes just being around doing their thing while Spidey handles the actual super villains, so I addressed it.

**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man**  
@NYCWallCrawler  
So how was the west coast @StarkIndustries  
3:17 PM - Mar 1  
**Stark**  @StarkIndustries * Mar 1  
You're not going to let that go, are you?  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man**  @NYCWallCrawler * Mar 1  
If I died tomorrow and that was the only way to resurrect myself, I would still not let it go.  
**Stark**  @StarkIndustries * Mar 1  
Real big of you, kid. Go yell at Daredevil and the rest of them.  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man**  @NYCWallCrawler * Mar 1  
You mean the guys who kept the city from actually collapsing from street crime? Real big of you, Iron Man.  
**Gizmo Bro**  @gankelee * Mar 1  
which side am i supposed to be on here?  
**VISIONS King** @mmorales * Mar 1  
probs the one who stopped the plague

~~0000~~

**Ra-ra-rasputin**  
@texassmash  
So has anyone else seen the second Spidey or am I just hallucinating?  
12:42 PM - Mar 2  
**lil bit genghis khan** @manhattanmalcontent * Mar 2  
you're like eight years behind, we've all seen him  
**Cipher For My Cat** @harriettagoldblumxyz * Mar 2  
He only showed up like two weeks ago???  
**Ra-ra-rasputin** @texassmash * Mar 2  
Is he even eight? I definitely heard his voice crack.  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * Mar 2  
rude -- Spidey Mk. II  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * Mar 2  
You're not calling yourself that, and stop taking my phone.

~~0000~~

**Wallcrawler 2: Electric Boogaloo**  
@kidarachnid  
lesson of the day: persistence pays off  
4:15 PM - Mar 3  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * Mar 3  
You're paying me back.  
**Gloria** @SoyGloria * Mar 3  
Is that any way to talk to your son?  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * Mar 3  
It's good he's not, then  
**Wallcrawler 2: Electric Boogaloo**  @kidarachnid * Mar 3  
ew  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * Mar 3  
WOW

~~0000~~

**Maxter Baxter**  
@junebugging  
the resemblance is eerie  
[a video of both Spider-persons having a conversation, Spider-Man on top of the roof and Kid Arachnid stuck to the wall, both of them gesticulating broadly, even if none of the audio comes through]  
6:37 PM - Mar 4  
**Amylase Amylose** @SpiderNerdAmy * Mar 4  
Had to do it  
[a screen cap of the video, Spider-Man's arm outstretched, captioned with 'everything the light touches is your kingdom']  
**Wallcrawler 2: Electric Boogaloo** @kidarachnid * Mar 4  
but what about that shadowy place  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * Mar 4  
That's Staten Island.

~~0000~~

[The video is dark and slightly grainy, shot from a window a couple floors down, so the angle isn't the best. On the next roof over, a broad man in red and black and accompanied by a pair of katanas is gesturing broadly in Spider-Man's direction. None of what he's saying is clear, but from his tone he's both too loud and overly excited. Spider-Man is standing in front of Kid Arachnid, looking half a second away from decking the stranger. Finally, Kid Arachnid sneaks past, offering his hand for what seems to be the most reluctant handshake. The swordsman squeals in delight and takes his hand...and is immediately launched backwards by some sort of electric shock. There's a beat of silence, and then Spider-Man melts towards the roof, cackling too hard to stand. The video turns away, to the phone owner. "Honestly, what even the fuck."]

## i mean i don't really blame him

52,378 views  
**manhattanmalcontent**  
Published on March 5, 2019  
it is like 3 in the goddamn morning, why do they never sleep

189 comments  
**X2XImTheNewCancerX2X**  1 week ago  
I mean, you're also not asleep  
**manhattanmalcontent** 1 week ago  
3 am is when i get most of my practice in  
**X2XImTheNewCancerX2X** 1 week ago  
mood

 **Mariah Boyce**  1 week ago  
is no one concerned about Spidey being that blase about what's probably a serious injury?  
**bennnoblebarnesnjerry**  1 week ago  
don't worry, that's Deadpool. he's legit indestructible, I think? he's popped up in the news a bit lately.  
**Mariah Boyce**  1 week ago  
god I am so behind

~~0000~~

[A video with Spider-Man hanging upside from a fire escape, giving someone directions. Kid Arachnid is standing on the fire escape properly, and nearly jumps to the moon when the film-taker shouts, "Spidey, do something!" Kid Arachnid promptly turns invisible, and after a second, Spider-Man gestures in his general direction and says, "Yeah, that." Sheepishly, with the sort of air of someone who sneezed during a moment of silence, Kid Arachnid reappears. "I'll take it!" the phone's owner shouts.]  
**nicxan**  * **follow  
** nicxan why are spider people so jumpy?? #spideyspotting  
**shaicarus**  and how many more are we going to collect?  
**spidernerdamy**  And why are all the heroes in New York? Except for when they aren't, I mean.  
**shaicarus**  new york is just Like That  
237 likes  
March 6, 2019

~~0000~~

[A video of Spider-Man darting back and forth between a few buildings. It's unclear at first what he's doing, until he tumbles gracelessly to the sidewalk, cradling a pigeon to his chest. He sits up, hands clasped carefully around the decidedly smug bird, looking far more rumpled than the pigeon. "Y'know, I was gonna say 'do something,' but I think I'm good," the phone's owner observes.]  
**shaicarus**  * **follow  
** shaicarus a nice surprise on my birthday #spideyspotting  
**digitalmoriarty**  I didn't know hero work paid THAT badly  
**spidernerdamy**  Happy birthday!  
**shaicarus**  i'm #old  
172 likes  
March 7, 2019

~~0000~~

**Amylase Amylose**  
@SpiderNerdAmy  
Someone give me a writing prompt! I'm bored and supposed to be doing homework.  
3:29 PM - Mar 8  
**VISIONS King** @mmorales * Mar 8  
prompt: your homework  
**Amylase Amylose** @SpiderNerdAmy * Mar 8  
While that fits the letter of my request, it is completely against the spirit. Disqualified.

~~0000~~

**Amylase Amylose**  
@SpiderNerdAmy  
HE'S ALL GROWN UP  
[A photo of Kid Arachnid, now wearing his black and red uniform when previously it had only been a black bodysuit. He's standing on top of a parked moving van and looks to be waving at the camera with great bemusement.]  
1:37 PM - Mar 9  
**Wallcrawler 2: Electric Boogaloo** @kidarachnid * Mar 9  
if i'm all grown up does that mean i still have to do homework???  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * Mar 9  
Yes.  
**Amylase Amylose**  @SpiderNerdAmy * Mar 9  
[A photo of Spider-Man upside down and looking vaguely stern-ish, captioned with 'dad-ing intensifies']  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * Mar 9  
[A gif of Spider-Man perched on a lamppost, his head in his hands]

~~0000~~

**J. Jonah Jameson**  
@JJJatHome  
While I've resigned myself to the world's bizarre tolerance for the web-swinging menace, is everyone just going to accept @NYCWallCrawler getting a child involved in his mess?  
12:45 PM - Mar 10  
**Wallcrawler 2: Electric Boogaloo** @kidarachnid * Mar 10  
@JJJatHome frowns on people making their own well-considered choices, more at 11 #policestateconfirmed

~~0000~~

### The Daily Bugle

Monday, March 11, 2019

## DOUBLE TROUBLE AS SPIDER-MEN NEARLY LET ROBBERS ESCAPE

[A photo at night, Spider-Man splayed on the ground on his front, the hilt of a knife visibly protruding from beside one shoulder blade. Kid Arachnid is crouched defensively in front of him, reaching out, one hand planted in a puddle of water. Electricity is visibly sparking between where his hand is planted and the two figures trying to make a break for it.]

~~0000~~

**MOST INTREPID**  
@mjwatson  
Catching up on news from back home. Sounds like I've missed a lot!  
7:19 AM - Mar 12  
**Peter Parker**  @photonerdery * Mar 12  
Well shucks, guess you'll just have to call for longer than ten minutes at a time if you want me to catch you up.  
**MOST INTREPID** @mjwatson * Mar 12  
Well gee, I guess I'll just have to try and scrounge up some extra free time while I'm stuck way over here.  
**Peter Parker** @photonerdery * Mar 12  
Hey, feel free to scrounge up that time whenever, I can answer a phone call at 3 AM.  
**MOST INTREPID**  @mjwatson * Mar 12  
I might have to take you up on that.  
**Peter Parker**  @photonerdery * Mar 12  
Careful, you might get my hopes up.  
**VISIONS King** @mmorales * Mar 12  
you're both gross  
**Peter Parker** @photonerdery * Mar 12  
Go to class.

~~0000~~

**MJ  
** You shouldn't be back at work yet  
It's been, what, a day and a half?  
If that?  
_received at 18:37 03/13/2019_

**Peter**

I'm fine, honestly.

You know how quickly I heal.

_read at 18:40 03/13/2019_

**MJ**  
I also know you got STABBED  
Besides, you have an apprentice now!  
Take a few days off!  
_received at 18:41 03/13/2019_

**Peter**

I've only been training him for a few weeks.

Maybe he's ready to go solo for a few days, but I'M not ready for that.

_read at 18:43 03/13/2019_

**MJ**  
I guess I can't argue there  
Even if I want to.  
Just promise me you won't push it.  
_received at 18:47 03/13/2019_

**Peter**

You know I can't promise that, but I'll do my best.

_read at 18:48 03/13/2019_

**MJ**  
Alright.  
You stay in one piece, Tiger.  
Love you.  
_received at 18:50 03/13/2019_

**Peter**

Love you, too.

_read at 18:50 03/13/2019_

~~0000~~

**Wallcrawler 2: Electric Boogaloo**  
@kidarachnid  
I'M KING OF THE WORLD  
[A selfie taken from a high angle, to show off the fact that he's very carefully perched on the highest point of Avengers Tower. The sun is only just beginning to come up.]  
6:54 AM - Mar 14  
**Wallcrawler 2: Electric Boogaloo**  @kidarachnid * Mar 14  
hope you all like that pic, i almost dropped my phone  
**Gloria** @SoyGloria * Mar 14  
Does that mean you dropped it and had to web it to safety?  
**Wallcrawler 2: Electric Boogaloo** @kidarachnid * Mar 14  
pssh, no  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man** @NYCWallCrawler * Mar 14  
Yes.

~~0000~~

**Wallcrawler 2: Electric Boogaloo**  
@kidarachnid  
meet me on the roof if you want an ass kicking  
[A selfie of him perched on a radio tower on a roof, aiming a cheesy finger gun at the camera.]  
3:14 AM - Mar 15  
**Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man**  @NYCWallCrawler * Mar 15  
Pretty sure you've got that backwards.

 **lil bit genghis khan**  
@manhattanmalcontent  
why does this always happen HERE?  
[A photo taken from a few floors down, blurry because the subjects are moving. Spider-Man appears to have Kid Arachnid in a headlock.]  
3:25 AM - Mar 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this to feel better while getting through the tail end of being sick. also to keep my streak on 4thewords going.

**Author's Note:**

> welp, there you have it! thoughts? requests? did you like it? if you did, maybe click [this link](http://shaicarus.tumblr.com/post/183087491875/honestly-this-post-is-solely-to-direct-people-to)?


End file.
